If he could, there would be steam coming out of Bruce's ears as he stormed out of the school with his ward's wrist tightly gripped with one hand as he flexed the other to somehow calm himself down. When he received the call that Dick had been in a fight, he didn't want to believe it. He'd hoped that it was a big misunderstanding and perhaps roughhousing going a bit too far. Then he was told that Dick had broken someone's nose and he knew there and then that it wasn't something light-hearted gone wrong because Dick knew how to play fight without using that much force. He'd been Robin for about two years and didn't make those rookie mistakes. When he saw Dick in the office, an angry bruise sprouting around his swollen eye and dried blood on his lip, he briefly wondered how much of it was deserved but at the end of the day, this was a school. He couldn't be using his training in this environment. Any sympathy he had was put to rest by the headmaster explaining why there was a fight in the first place. Apparently, someone had taken his lunchbox and put it on a high set of lockers which was enough to set the acrobat off. He'd thrown the first punch and when the other boy rightfully defended himself, he broke his nose in return. The fight has been eventually broken up by a teacher and now one kid was off to the hospital and Bruce was mortified knowing it wasn't his own. That wasn't helped by the headmaster explaining that Dick was suspended for two weeks and that if another incident happened, he'd be excluded.

When they got in the car, he took a deep breath and without making eye contact he laid out the ground rules. He hated this part of being a parent but he couldn't let this go away with a slap on the wrist.

"You're benched," he stated firmly. Dick, who hadn't spoken a word the entire time, looked at him scandalised and was about to argue but Bruce put his hand up before he could get a word out. He was already on edge and the wrong word was going to set them off on their way to a screaming match. "If you think it's appropriate to use your knowledge for a school fight then you don't deserve Robin. Your job is to protect people, not to hurt them because they annoyed you." The acrobat shrank back and his eyes darted to a spot on the floor. "When we get back, you're going straight to your room and staying there without any dinner. in fact, I don't even want to see you until I come home from work tomorrow. I'm to assume you have the work you need now that you can't do it in school?"

"They'll email me the work I need to complete on Monday," Dick croaked, his voice wet like he was on the verge of tears.

"You'll only have your computer. I want your phone and any other electronics handed over to me or Alfred and I will make sure one of us has them. All you're going to do is that work, train under my supervision to control yourself and think about what you've done. I can't believe you'd use your training on some random kid!"

"But-"

"I don't care. You should know better. There is never any excuse to use our training on innocent people, no less innocent children. It's not a crime to be annoying otherwise you'd be locked up in Arkham for all you've put me through." Dick swallowed thickly and nodded, subtly shifting away from his mentor until his arm was pressed against the car door. The sight pulled on Bruce's heart but he couldn't back down now that he'd laid down the rules or he'd look soft. As much as he didn't like how his ward's eyes watered and how hard he was trying to control his breathing so as to not cry, Dick was in the wrong here. He was lucky Bruce was a funder for the school or he could've been excluded. He shook his head and got out his phone to read some emails. He hoped the criminals were ready for him tonight because he really needed to blow off some steam. Maybe he should give the hospital a heads-up.

When they got home, Dick did as he asked and quietly made his way straight to his room. He sighed to himself as Alfred joined them inside and glanced up at the stairs the young boy had run up. He turned to Bruce as though to say something but instead shook his head and followed Dick upstairs. It was such a small interaction yet Bruce felt off-put by it like he'd somehow missed something. He hadn't or at least he didn't think he had despite how he felt. He ran a hand down his face and groaned. This was the last thing he needed right now. Maybe Alfred was just giving him a look of support. Either way, there was no use stewing on what happened and he had cases to prepare for tonight that he now had to do one man down.

Gently, Alfred opened the door to Dick's room to find the boy sniffling as he collected up his electronics. He looked positively miserable as he had done every day he was picked up from school for the last few months. The only smiles that he pulled on those school grounds were from the relief of seeing the familiar sleek black limo pull up or courtesy of his closest friend Babara Gordon. He'd always struggled to find his footing among children who had only ever known luxury and in the past he'd had acquaintances, people who wouldn't throw a fit at being paired with him for a school project, but the commissioner's daughter was the only person that Alfred could firmly state was Dick's friend and she couldn't have come at a better time. Kids had grown up and were now much more aware of the differences that weren't completely obvious, listening to the views around them and then picking them up to spread for themselves. Long story short, Alfred knew the effects of bullying when he saw them and why Dick was being bullied was no mystery. When he heard there'd been a fight, he was curious as to what the tipping point really was and not what the school identified it as. The school was useless when it came to the bullying issue but Bruce would never know that because he was never there to see the hateful glances his ward received and the especially harsh shoving people did when they walked past. Alfred had bared witness to times when Barbara was shielding him and refusing to let go of his hand until he'd climbed into the car.

"Would you like to talk about it, sir?" he asked, keeping his tone soft and calm to show he wasn't trying to instigate something. Dick wiped his nose on the back of his sleeve and shrugged as he continued to collect everything into a bag. "Master Dick, can you sit down for a moment?" He shook his head and handed the bag over. "No, because you're about to cry and don't wish for me to see or no as in you wouldn't like to?"

"First one." The butler hummed.

"Alright but how about you let me have a look at your injuries? I know you well enough that you wouldn't have broken that boy's nose if you weren't afraid."

"I'm not hurt," he replied.

"Master Dick-"

"You heard him. I should know better," he said, ending the conversation there. "I should finish my English assignment."

"Dinner will be ready in half an hour."

"But Bruce said I'm not supposed to have dinner."

"I refuse to stoop to the levels of the juvenile detention centre you were held at as a form of punishment and he can take it up with me if he has a problem with it. Food is a basic right I won't have a hand in taking away from you. Especially when I know that boy deserved it," he replied firmly. Dick nodded and smiled softly, appreciating something that should be a given. "You're a good boy, Master Dick, your mentor is just being a fool and I'll ensure you an apology from him once he realises."

"Thank you, Alfie but you've known him longer than I have. You know he doesn't say sorry when he's wrong." He would, Alfred silently promised, otherwise he was going to raise hell to get it.

For most of the night, Batman was working alone and taking out his anger on random lowlifes. He would've liked to spend the whole night like that but the Bat-Signal had gone off and he couldn't ignore it simply because he was annoyed. Gordon met him on the roof and a brown paper cup of warm coffee, his cigarette wedged in between his fingers, and in his other hand a manilla envelope. From his demeanour, Batman could tell the call wasn't for an immediate threat and silently breathed a sigh of relief. He really didn't fancy calling out Robin after putting his foot down.

"I thought you were trying to quit," Batman commented as he was handed the folder. He flipped it open to find the case he was working on alongside the police. He'd never been much of a fan of working so closely with them since there was always some sort of obstacles or budget set back but his hand was forced since the higher-ups were worried about whose side he was on. He supposed that's what he got for looking actually menacing and not like a blue boy scout.

"You have a kid, you know how it is," he replied. "Unknown number was texting our prime suspect death threats. Same unknown number contacted the victim three days before their death with similar messages. The boys here don't have the equipment to trace it back but I'm sure you do." Batman grunted in recognition. "Where's Robin?"

"At home," he answered gruffly.

"Sounds like he's in he dog house." Gordon took a drag before continuing. "My daughter was chewing my ear off today about that Wayne boy having to cancel their sleepover because he got grounded." Batman gritted his teeth and tried to concentrate on the other updates on the cases. "Poor kid."

"What makes you say that?"

"From what she says, these kids jumped him with a cricket bat during lunch. He gets the bat and hits the ringleader with it. Real smarmy shit I've seen him on the football team. Anyway, breaks his nose and the school takes the other kid's side." Batman stopped and stared at him. No. No way would that happen and the school tell him a completely different side of the story. Maybe Barbara had made it up to make his ward seem more of the victim than he actually was as to not paint him as some sort of hooligan.

"Why would he get into trouble for that?"

"Never thought you'd be interested in high school drama bats," he replied but that didn't stop him from continuing. "Well, these kids have been terrorising him for months right and the school does nothing because they're some of the top funders. Now, I bet you're thinking well surely Wayne donates a hefty sum too, right?"

A very hefty sum.

"I thought the same thing until Babs says to me that Wayne might be a good donor but Dick doesn't look like the kid who goes there. Doesn't act like it. Not in a bad way, I've met the kid a few times and he seems like a nice lad. Makes my Babs happy in any case."

He takes another hit and Batman feels his heart drop to his feet as he realises he's been played for a fool.

"Apparently the school protects the bullies and has been writing him up for it. Giving him cautions when a teacher hears him insult back and stuff. Babs says he stopped fighting back about a week ago so they think they can push it further, rough him up more, and boom the kid hits back but he looks like the type of kid who hits back. God knows what story they told to Wayne but whatever it was, it'd keep his funding but get rid of the kid who doesn't fit in."

Batman didn't even ask Dick what happened. He just punished him and took the headmaster's word for it. How could he believe that not all institutions in a city built on corruption had been infected in some way?

"Babs says they've been trying to off-roll him ever since he started, like some sort of silent exclusion. Tells me Wayne won't listen to a word of what he says."

All those meetings the school had with him telling him Dick would do better being taught at home, that he simply wasn't fitting in so would be better in a more comfortable environment, weren't for his own good but to get him out.

"So like I say, poor kid. Yknow Wayne's always struck me as easy going but apparently, his parenting is anything but. I tell you what, if one day I got told my Babs broke a kid's nose out of the blue, I'd be at least talking to her about it. Anyway, enough about that, reckon you can get a read on that number?" Batman nodded silently and took a picture of the number before handing the file back. He needed to get home right now. Maybe he should grab something nice on the way but almost everywhere was closed and he didn't know if that was a slap in the face or not. "You alright?"

"Robin was right about something," he replied. "How...How do I make up for it?"

"For when you punish your kid and find out you were wrong?" He nodded. "I sit em down and tell em. Usually, bring her something she likes. Kids appreciate honesty especially when you did the wrong thing." Batman nodded to himself. "Don't beat yourself up too hard. Parents make mistakes"

Bruce rushed into Dick's room, ready to apologize, and promptly forgot to knock. He only realised when he'd already opened the door and stepped in to see Dick walking into the room with a towel around his waist and his hair slick from the shower. It was in that moment that Bruce's heart sunk impossibly lower as he was met with mottled black and blue bruises patterning his ward's chest and arms. Previously they'd been covered by a school uniform and if he looked back on it, Dick's shirt had been rather dirty when he'd picked him up from school but he'd brushed it off as nothing of note. It was very much something. Especially when there was one particular bruise that sat snugly between Dick's ribs, drawing his attention to it enough to realise the skin had actually broken under the pressure of whatever caused the injury. It wasn't the worst thing he'd ever seen but it felt like the perfect symbol of what had happened.

"I get I'm grounded but you can't just come in without knocking!" Dick scolded, breaking his concentration. He then turned his attention to the young boy's face, finding those familiar red-lined eyes and that puffy look his under eyes got whenever he cried hard. Those were definitely his fault. He'd been angry at the victim this entire time and he knew how the acrobat's mind worked enough to know that his anger was being amplified. The kid had a tendency to torture himself like that, beating himself up twice as hard as the original lecture had.

"Those boys gave you those, didn't they?" he asked without acknowledging what his ward had said. "Did you let Alfred see this?" Dick shook his head as his eyes darted around the room to settle on anything other than his mentor. His avoidance made Bruce look harder and begin to notice small red dots staining his skin. It wasn't obvious at first and for a moment he feared this was chicken pox but when he got closer, he realised he'd seen them before. "Chum, what have I said about skin picking? You'll give yourself an infection."

"Maybe I deserve it," came a half-hearted mumble.

"Why would you deserve that?" Dick shrugged in reply, continually refusing to meet his eyes. "Dick, talk to me here."

"Why? You never asked about my side of the story so why would you care?" the younger snapped and rightfully so. It should've been suspicious in the first place that something so small would set off someone who worked so desperately hard to get his anger under control in his first few years at the manor. Even if the story didn't work out to be some bullies pulling their family name around, Bruce still should've asked what was going on in the first place. "I just- I expected that from the school because they've been trying to get rid of me for years but from you?"

"I thought you were acting out. You're getting to that age now where it's common and it's not like you don't have reason to."

"It's fine."

"It's not."

"Well, yeah it's not but I'd rather we pretend it is. I'm suspended now and kicking up a fuss will just make them come up with another thing to exclude me for then everyone is just going to see me as the reckless charity case they already thought I was. I bet they're already spinning up a story about my suspension and talking all about that kid's broken nose but never saying anything about how he broke mine two months ago." Dick shook his head at the tears bubbling up in his eyes.

"I'll fix it."

"Maybe you shouldn't. I don't know." He rubbed his eyes and held himself loosely, trying not to put too much pressure on the bruises. "Don't wanna cause more trouble than I'm worth."

"Dick, you're worth all the trouble in the world."

"Didn't seem like it in the car." Yeah, it didn't. "Can you go? I'm kinda freezing here."

"Yeah but I'm coming back. With food too."

"Alfie snuck me some, Mist-Bruce." Bruce paled further at that as his ward grew tense at the mix-up. Dick hadn't called him Mister Wayne in years. He'd dropped it in about half a year to Wayne and then finally said Bruce but there were times that he brought the name back from the dead. Usually when he didn't feel safe in his place here.

"Alright. I'll be back."

Bruce had been pacing outside the bedroom door, trying to time how long Dick needed to get dressed, and counting was probably the only thing keeping him from completely freaking out. His mind played over the events in the car and he cringed at himself for being so harsh. Dick had even tried to tell him the truth but he wouldn't let him get a word in edgewise. He should've known better. That's what really turned his stomach. He knew better. He wasn't new to the game anymore, he'd had Dick for the best part of two years now and in that time he'd been given plenty of data points to know his ward wasn't the angry kid he once was. Walking outside the door wasn't doing anything for his nerves so he decided to be at least a little helpful. Those bruises looked painful and sore so he quickly walked to his bedroom and into his own ensuite, opening up the medicine cabinet to grab some painkillers. They were a little stronger than over-the-counter medication hence why he kept them and not his ward. He swiftly made his way downstairs to retrieve a glass of water, his eyes lingering on the chocolate milk in the fridge. If there was ever a time to break Alfred's no sugar after 8 pm rule, now would be it. He grabbed the bottle along with the water and returned to his spot outside Dick's door which was still firmly closed.

When he decided enough time had passed - because he simply couldn't stand just waiting there-, he knocked on the door and waited for the go-ahead to come in. There were a few moments of silence where he had the horrible thought that Dick wasn't going to let him in but eventually the door opened to reveal the young boy dressed in a big hoodie and baggy pyjama bottoms. He leaned against the door looking up at Bruce, clearly exhausted.

"Hey."

"Hi," Bruce replied.

"You brought chocolate milk," he noted quietly. "You must feel really bad."

"Got some painkillers too. Maybe I should look at your ribs and make sure they're not broken."

"They don't feel broken." Because of course, this tiny acrobat knew what it felt like to break your ribs. "But the painkillers weren't a bad idea."

"Let's get you into bed, chum. I think we need to have a serious talk and I'd rather you're comfortable for it."

"What if I don't want to talk?" Dick asked softly, not moving from where he leaned on the door. "You-you didn't even listen to me back there and then you-you knew my food issues from juvie but you still- it's like- God, it's like sometimes I've got three different dads when it comes to you. One minute you're this great dad who knows me like the back of his hand, then you're distant and snappy then you're overprotective and baby me." He shook his head to himself. "I don't know what's up with you Bruce but I really needed you on my team and you weren't there."

"I know." The acrobat seemed to take pity on him when he gave such a disheartening response.

"You can make it up to me though."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I want the treatment you give me when I'm sick. Head pats, bedtime story and a kiss goodnight." Bruce smiled at how serious he sounded.

"I believe that can be arranged and we will talk about this. I mean it."

"I know, just not tonight."

"Just not tonight," he confirmed.